A Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love
by Blue Persuasion
Summary: A story of Dudley's adventures during Deathly Hallows. OC love eventually. Genre romance for now, hope to add adventure soon we'll see where it goes
1. Serenity and the Diary

Don't own it... Don't even know if many people will wander into this ficcy... But many many thanks to BlueTrillium for all the help. I guess I'm doing this more for myself than others. I have read some other ficcys along the same line as this - but due to time issues haven't had time to review - sorry about that but I do hope to one day correct that!

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A Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love

Chapter 1: Serenity and the Diary

_Dear Diary_

_Wow… now that's just lame! Transfer to a new location and BAM! Total lameness protruding from the orifices of every pore of writing. Really now, am I really going to care what is written in this stupid little book with a flimsy lock (easy to pick or just break) when I 'grow up'? Guess I won't know that till much later in life so I might as well try to do this right._

He scratched his head and smiled uncertainly. Orifices? What did that mean? Shrugging he opted to continue reading. The telly didn't have anything worth watching on it and he was beyond bored. The rambling thoughts of a stupid girl might provide a little entertainment. Maybe…

_Okay. I'm a 16 year old transfer student. Well, sorta a transfer student. I was really looking forward to coming to England. This is the country my mom was born in and lived in. Actually, I was born here too but mom took me to America when I was just old enough to be on a plane. Okaayy… enough of the history stuff. This is my diary and I know I'll remember the story of mom and dad. No need to write about it._

He wasn't a genius, but he knew by her accent that she was from The States. That and some of the words she used were just near about ridiculous.

_So, I transfer here to attend Hogwarts. For some reason my aunt refused to believe that England wasn't safe right now with this evil madman on the loose (Lord What's-his-face) and shipped me off to stay with dad. Yeah! Like that worked! Dad had about as much to say to me when I got here as he had my entire existence. A BIG FAT NOTHING!_

He shook his head so faintly it barely stirred his hair. His dad, and mum for that matter, had always doted on him. He never imagined there were parents out there that wouldn't want to be around their children. Granted Harry had always gotten the short end of the stick, but he wasn't a brother and therefore Mum and Dad didn't need to treat him like a son. But it might have been okay if they had been a little nicer to Harry.

Dudley bit his bottom lip in frustration. Only a few short years ago the thought of Harry's treatment at home only amused him. He was the one with seniority at home. He was the important one. The boy in the endless spotlight as it should be. It was times like this Dudley wrestled with his emotions. It was only right for him to be 'top dog'. Right? Harry was an orphan and therefore lower in social status.

But then Harry had to go and save his life. He wasn't the smartest person in the world, but he knew that Harry didn't have to save him. He often wondered if the roles were reversed if he would have saved Harry. If he had been treated like Harry, would he have made certain his relatives were safe? He shook his head again and found his place in the diary opened on the table before him.

_Would seem that dear daddy is right in the middle of all this 'Let's take over the freaking world' mess. On the wrong side! Really. Just my luck to have a Death Eater as a father. Ick! I'm so glad I put that information together before relating my real surname to my hosts. Giving mom's maiden name was __clever__. So, now I'm Serenity Woodscroft. Not as catchy as my real name but it will suffice. _

_So, anyway, now I'm stuck at a safe house helping out to watch over a family of muggles instead of going to school for my seventh year. I do wonder if it'll still be okay to have skipped my last year, even though my marks were well above average. My last headmaster said I could test out of seventh year if I wanted to. But I was curious of this Hogwarts. Maybe they'll let me test out after the years up. Sorta like a wizarding GED. After the war will it even matter? _

_Well, I have totally demolished this page in my diary. I guess I'll chalk it up to dealing with that stubborn Vernon Dursley. I sure wish he would take lessons from his son and chill out! The man drives me insane – a tall __feat__ since I grew up around a load of muggles. Oh good grief! I just wrote 'load'. Must be the lingo around here rubbing off. Anyway, that's __it__ for now. Same stupid time, same stupid channel… and all that jazz._

Dudley read through the last paragraph slowly. She had actually complimented him in writing. Granted she wasn't a bad person. She was usually chipper and nice to everyone. Still, she did have this vein on her forehead that seemed to bulge out every time dad said anything.

The creaking board in the hallway alerted him in time to snap the book closed and stash it under the scattered papers on the small desk. It was just out of sight when a knock issued on the thin wooden door. He cleared his throat as quietly as he could before answering.

As expected a mane of wavy brown hair cascaded around the slightly opened door. Following were a pair of bluish-green eyes. Materializing further, Serenity only emerged halfway through the gap, leaving the rest of her in the hallway.

"Dinner's ready," she said smiling.

He smiled back. It was hard not to smile at her. She had an addicting personality he found oddly fascinating.

"What's it?"

She giggled lightly. "Can't you ever make that a complete sentence? What's it?" she repeated, trying, and failing, to imitate his deep voice. "Well, for once we are fresh out of shepherd's pie and are now going to resort to trying an Italian dish made in a very American style!"

He stood slowly. "So, you cooked tonight?"

She nodded. "Dedalus is still shook up about the raid on his house. He lost everything he owned. Hestia's trying to keep him calmed down. In the process the two drank one too many glasses of mead. So I went to the store and grabbed the fixings for lasagna."

He took half a step, unable to hide the confusion. "Raid?"

"Oh yeah," she breathed, stepping fully into his room. "The Death Eaters. Not pretty, I tell ya. Not pretty at all. I reckon Dedalus made it out just in time. Good thing the house was not being lived in. He had only gone to gather a few things when the baddies showed up. Nasty news, those Death Eaters. Wish they would let me have a crack at 'em. I have a few tricks up my sleeves." She pumped her fist in the air a few times. Her eyes held an anger to them that told Dudley he was better to stay on her good side.

He gave her a throaty chuckle which she interpreted as his belief. He had never seen her do magic. He had asked her once if she was really a witch. She had quickly confessed she was but she seemed sympathetic to the Dursleys and never did magic visibly around them. He was fairly sure she had cooked tonight's meal without any magic since mum had a way of finding the kitchen when she was bored – which was very often.

He had been proud of himself when he announced to her weeks ago that he knew she couldn't do magic outside of school before she was seventeen. That had been the case for Harry. His ego was quickly deflated when she informed him she could do magic wherever she pleased. When she had entered the country, there was already a state of panic and the Trace (whatever that was) hadn't been placed on her. She was too far away from her home country for any spell she did to register there. For some reason it seemed even the wizards hadn't found a way to stretch their magic across the Atlantic Ocean.

Aside from restraining her magic around the house, she also dressed decently. For some reason, wizards and witches had the hardest time dressing themselves. Unlike the odd combination of clothing the others wore, Serenity always looked quite normal in her usual attire of a dress or blue jeans and t-shirt. He guessed she only wore the dresses because mum had taken a liking to her and gone shopping. Mum had obviously picked out the dresses since they all looked like something she would wear. Serenity wasn't nearly as petite as mum, but she wasn't as large as dad. She had an average body build which Dudley couldn't help but to find more attractive than the tiny models that seemed to be popular.

Not that he was interested in Serenity. No way! She was a witch. That would be Forbidden with a capital F.

She must have caught the odd expression on his face. She tilted her head to the side as if scrutinizing him. "Now, what's going on in that head of yours?" Her tone was light and amused.

"Oh, nothing…"

She simply nodded and led the way from the room. She stopped at the top of the stairs and inclined her head toward him. "Do you hate wizards and witches?"

He wrinkled his eyebrows, unsure where that question had come from.

She took a small breath. "Sorry. Never mind." Before he could fathom anything she was halfway down the staircase.

As usual, he sat between mum and dad at the large table. They always made him sit between them like he was being sheltered from the house itself. Part of him wanted to rebel and tell them it was no use. As much as they wanted to deem magic was all make-believe, it was real, and somewhere out there Harry was right in the middle of it. Dudley couldn't help but to often wonder how his cousin was, and at times he worried uncharacteristically.

"So, Miss Woodscroft," his father started in his usual tart tone. "You said one time your mother was from England?"

Dudley nearly choked on a mouthful of pasta and red sauce. Dad must have gone mad to actually be trying to hold a conversation with a witch. He had spent weeks avoiding any contact with anyone in the house other than his wife and son. If neither of them were around he kept his nose stuck in the newspaper which Serenity had been thoughtful enough to bring to the house daily.

Serenity smiled. "Yes, she was. I was born here too. We moved to America when I was only a baby to live with her sister there."

"And where is she now?"

Dudley turned his head from his father to the girl who sat alone across from them. He was almost sure he saw something unreadable flash for a split second in her eyes.

"She died in an accident nearly a year ago. Aunt Addie didn't know what to do with me so she sent me back here."

Vernon grunted; swallowing a large mouthful. "So, you were a troublesome child?"

Dudley let out a sigh. Dad was obviously really bored and ready to resume his life. He wasn't happy being cooped up in a safe house; especially not one run by magic.

"Err… no, I wasn't a problem in that way…" He could see her struggling with her words. "Aunt Addie didn't quite know how to handle my educational needs."

"Ah!" exclaimed Vernon; much like a man who just made a major discovery. "Your aunt is a normal person. Proper people shouldn't have to deal with abnormalities."

Dudley jerked his attention back to Serenity. Sure enough that vein was once again throbbing over her right eye. The fork she was holding trembled slightly as her knuckles turned slightly white. She took two large breaths and pushed away from the table.

"Excuse me," she said mustering as much politeness as she could. "I'll leave you and your family to eat in peace."

Dudley was sure she wasn't done eating herself, but had lost her appetite. When she first came to the house his father's comments didn't affect her so much. Over time it was only reasonable that she would cringe at anything that came out of Vernon Dursley's mouth.

"Hold up, girl." Dudley dropped his own fork and stared dumbstruck at his father. How could the man keep at it? She wasn't Harry. Was he trying to find a replacement punching bag?

His mum seemed to sense the same. "Vernon? Dear?"

"Not now, Petunia. What of your father, girl? Why doesn't he take over your schooling?"

Serenity paused and turned halfway, looking over her shoulder. "Mr. Dursley, there is a war going on. The school here is directly affected. My education is temporarily on hold."

Vernon huffed. "Still, a father wouldn't just leave his daughter alone without checking in on her. Where's he been? Why hasn't he come here to see you?"

Dudley saw a single tear swell in the girl's eye before she turned her back on the occupants of the room. "Good night. I hope you all sleep well."

And with that she disappeared in the kitchen. Dudley heard her clear off her plate and place it in the sink before retreating upstairs to her room. No one spoke for a few minutes. Petunia took small bites, concentrating on her meal. Dudley followed her example. The food was surprisingly good and he really wanted to finish it.

Vernon, on the other hand, wasn't content. "Well, that was just rude. A proper lady would have explained herself properly."

"A p-proper lady?" stammered Dudley. "I think she handled it just fine. You were poking into her personal stuff and instead of telling you off she ignored it."

Vernon rounded on him. "And what do you mean by that?"

Dudley swallowed, not wanting to go against his father. But at the same time the light of rebellion had been lit. "Well, you were prying, Dad. It would've been natural to snap back. But she didn't."

"Oh really!" Dudley could feel the force of anger behind his dad's voice. Being cooped up did not work for Vernon one bit. "And who are you to tell me how to conduct myself? Are you implying that I was rude?" Vernon's nose flared slightly with each word.

Dudley, eager to be away from the situation he had induced, stood and gathered his mostly empty plate.

"Sorry dad," he caved in. "I'm just tired. Think I'll go on to bed."

Vernon nodded tersely. "Yeah, you do that."

Dudley left his plate on the kitchen counter. Through the open door to the dining room he could hear his dad complaining to mum. It was the same old argument of how no one cared that his personal life was ruined thanks to a bunch of weirdoes. Dudley didn't stop to listen for more. He was going to bed as he said he was. He didn't feel like arguing or thinking much right now.

On his way to his room he passed the closed door where he was sure Serenity had retreated to. His room was across from hers. He almost knocked on it but stopped as a realization popped in his head. He had just accused his own father of prying. Like father like son, he assumed. He had just been reading the girl's diary. Of course, she had left it out on the coffee table. It wasn't locked, but it was still personal.

For some reason, he felt the need to apologize. Snatching the diary off the desk in his room, he had made up his mind. He would confess and hope she didn't decide it was the final straw. He really didn't want to be turned into a rat. If that was even possible…


	2. Different Worlds Feels the Same

Wow! I really didn't know if anyone would read this (me so happy)!

A big thanks to BlueTrillium for proof-reading! I own all HP books on CD (So much fun with the voice acting) but not one in print, so I have trouble with certain spellings and such. Blue's been the best!

Still aiming for action later on… just got to iron out the characters first. And just for the record, this isn't any form of self insertion. I do base some traits for Serenity on myself but Serenity has qualities that I don't posses – not to mention she's got a magic wand (I wants a real magic wand).

Oh, don't own it!

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Chapter 2: Different Worlds; Feels the Same

As he fumbled the diary out from its hiding place, it opened. He hesitated. His eyes twitched and before he knew it, he was reading the next entry. The first entry hadn't been dated, but this one was just under a month old.

_Dear stupid diary_

_Yeah… not in a good mood. My (insert offensive muggle slur) of a father actually contacted me. When an owl caught me out doing the shopping I thought for sure I was in trouble. The street was basically full of muggles. After a fascinating game of tag, I finally got my letter. The stupid bird hopped like a lame duck until there wasn't a soul around but me. That detour took me two miles off course. Not that I didn't find my way back, but I had to ask multiple people for directions. Having a terrible sense of direction only doubles the whole mess when I'm new to the area._

Without realizing it, Dudley made a mental note to remember Serenity had no luck with directions. He himself had a very good sense for that type of thing. The fact she had a 'weakness' also made her more like him. To a degree he had been feeling inferior to wizards. They could do magic _and_ everything he could do. He couldn't do magic which gave them the advantage. According to his dad he was superior, but that frame of mind was dwindling as he spent time around magic. Dad saw magic as a disease. Dudley might have agreed months ago, but now he wasn't so sure. He wasn't sure of many things anymore.

_Anyway… dear dad sent me a letter. Woo-hoo! NOT! I've only met the man twice in my life, neither time was pleasant, and now he wants to pretend to be concerned. He sends me a note that crumples into ash 10 minutes after the seal breaks. Guess dad doesn't want me to have any keepsakes – or he's too concerned with his rank in 'The Army of Darkness'. Too bad the real army of darkness isn't nearly as entertaining as the movie._

He chuckled. He was an expert with the telly. The mentioned movie had come on one night and he had watched it with mild amusement. Of course, he was supposed to be sleeping but the fact he had school the next day wasn't important enough to interrupt a good night in front of the telly.

He remembered when his family had first made it to the safe house. Of course, they were placed temporarily in a larger safe house to start with. There had been no telly there. Thanks to his dad, their stay was cut short. Vernon Dursley had seen to their prompt removal. Everyone, wizard and otherwise, had unanimously voted him out. The new safe house was set up for just the Dursleys and it did have a telly – though Dudley found he didn't watch it as much as he used to anyway.

Dudley was slowly realizing just how hard his dad was on everyone. The only people he treated decently were his wife, son and co-workers. Vernon lived in Vernon's own little world and it wasn't big enough for anyone outside a very small group.

Dudley had surely been on his way to growing up just like his dad. He had always thought that a good thing. Now even that seemed wrong.

He grimaced and turned his attention back to the diary.

_The letter said 'Serenity, do not reply. Stay out of sight. Go back to The States if possible. This place is not safe.' Oh, and he had actually signed his name. I guess he didn't want me to think it was from someone else. But, he signed his name… not dad or your father. It's so cold and impersonal. _

_He's never been around. He's never contacted me before. The two times I did see him were under stressful circumstances. The note held concern but no other emotion – no love or anything like that. I shouldn't care. It shouldn't hurt my feelings. But it does and I don't understand why._

The entry ended abruptly.

His large hands closed the book. It seemed to take a while for him to snap back to reality. The more he understood Serenity, the more he wasn't sure he wanted to know more – yet he wanted to know everything.

How was it someone could lose everything but still smile almost every day? He couldn't remember a single time he felt like smiling since leaving Number 4 Privet Drive. Serenity was always tending to one task or the other but he hadn't felt motivated to do anything most of his whole life. Sure he liked boxing. But the drive there was to find something he was good at. Something that would make him feel better and prove to others that he was better. But, it wasn't boxing the sport he liked, it was feeling superior. He was turning into his dad. Even he could put that together and he knew as well as anyone his intelligence was average at best.

He was confused. Utterly. And he had no idea how to handle it. So he did the only thing he could think of: he stuffed the tiny diary into his oversized pocket and left his room. The hall took all of two steps to cross, but he hesitated a moment before knocking quietly on Serenity's door.

He heard a rustle like she was hiding something. Soft footsteps crept to the door and the doorknob turned slowly. Opening it a crack, her blue-green eyes studied him for a second before opening the door wider.

"Oh, hi. Err… something wrong?"

He heard only mild surprise in her voice. She wasn't angry nor did she seem upset. This calmed him.

"Wondering if we could, um, talk?"

She stuck her head out and scanned the hallway. Satisfied it was clear, she opened the door fully and invited him in.

Now, even a boy of only average intelligence knew enough to feel awkward entering a girl's bedroom. He stepped in, diverting his attention from her. Her room was free of clutter and personal items. She hadn't brought much with her to England to begin with. The realization hit him that maybe she felt the same as him. She had been moved out of her 'world' (The States) and into a new one with little say on the matter. Just as he had been – only his world was one with out magic.

"Are you okay?"

He stiffened slightly. "Uh, yeah. I guess."

She giggled softly. "First time in a girl's bedroom? Don't go and get the wrong impression now. I had lots of friends back home and most of them were guys. Rest assured that I will not make any attempts to take advantage of you."

Dudley went into a harsh coughing fit. Serenity tapped him on the back, laughing hard enough to bring tears to her eyes.

"Sorry. Sorry. I'm joking! Please calm down. You wanted to talk and I didn't think the hallway would be ideal. If you want, we can go somewhere else."

Dudley cleared his throat. His head pounded slightly but he shook it anyway. "No, here's fine. Just caught me off guard."

Serenity smiled and motioned to a spot on the floor. She took a seat, leaning her head on the post of her bed. Dudley followed. He was more secure sitting with her on the floor. The only other place to sit would be on the bed and that would have been way too weird.

He fumbled with his hands before noticing a radio partially hidden under the bed. Was that what she was hiding before he knocked? If so, why?

"What's that?" he asked pointing to the black box under the bed.

"Oh… just a radio."

"Why's it under the bed?"

She wrung her hands. "It's…um…it runs off magic," she whispered.

"Oh. Where you listening to it?"

She seemed to relax. He was fairly sure she thought the mention of magic might upset him. Maybe it would have before, but not so much now.

"I was about to. But there's no need to worry about it. There's no guarantee the show's on. There's never a guarantee but that's what we deal with thanks to Lord Who's-it."

Dudley wrinkled his eyebrows. "Lord Who's-it? You mean that wizard that's the cause of all this?"

Serenity nodded. "Oh, don't say the name, if you know it," she added quickly.

Dudley had been searching his brain. He was sure he'd heard the name and was about to attempt it.

"Why?"

"It's jinxed. You say it and POOF! Death Eaters at your front door. Not a good thing."

He tilted his head. "What's the show about?"

She stared mutely at him. Her lips moved slightly but no sound came out. It was as if she was contemplating whether to share the information with him or not.

"I know it's magic stuff. And I know my family isn't…" He searched for the right word but drew a blank.

"Tolerant?" Serenity offered.

"Yeah. But I would like to know. I'm curious."

She bit her bottom lip and let it slide out of her teeth before answering. "The show's called Potterwatch. It gives updates on the situation…well, as much as we know."

"Potterwatch," Dudley repeated bewildered. "Is Harry really that important?"

Serenity nodded. "I know I'm not from here, but we know the name in America too. He's the wizarding world's most known wizard. And…well…"

Dudley raised an eyebrow. She stuttered, and he knew she was trying to figure out if she had already gone too far with the information or if she could go further.

"Yeah?" he prompted.

"Since he's your cousin, I was just wondering what kind of person he is. But you don't have to answer," she held up her hands. "If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine."

His lips twitched toward a smile, but never completed it. An almost-smile. Well, it was better than no smile, he concluded. She was trying so hard not to offend him.

"He's okay. Pretty much just a regular guy."

She breathed a sigh (he assumed of relief). "Oh, good. I was worried he would have this better-than-you-high-and-mighty attitude. If he's not full of himself than that's great."

Dudley did smile at that. He tried to imagine a Harry that thought he was better than anyone else. The total opposite of how he really is – but close to whom Dudley himself was turning out to be.

Serenity must have misread the frown on his face. "Sorry. I know your folks aren't fond of all this magic stuff. I get the vibe they don't really like having a wizard in the family. But you seem different. I'm not honestly sure how much of it you mind or don't mind."

"I…" Dudley shut his mouth and swallowed. So much had changed. He had changed and still didn't know how much more he would change. "I used to hate it. I used to think mum and dad were right to be like they are, but… but now I'm not sure. I don't think it's bad. Magic, that is. I don't think magic is bad but it's still a little…"

She smiled and rested her hand momentarily on his shoulder. "You're just a bit apprehensive, that's all."

"I'm not scared," he said defensively.

"No, that's not what I meant. Apprehensive is more like saying it worries you a bit but I didn't mean you were afraid."

He tried to smile. She clearly was trying to make him comfortable, but the truth was that magic did frighten him. He didn't understand it and that scared him. Plus, he had had bad experiences with magic before. The pig's tail was bad enough but those dementor things were horrible.

He darted his eyes back to the radio in an attempt to find another topic of conversation.

"What's that?"

Serenity followed his gaze to the space just behind the radio. She withdrew a long stick.

"Oh," she replied being sure to hold the stick sideways. "It's my wand. It's what I use to find the radio show with."

Dudley was happy to turn the conversation away from the topic of fear. "What's it made of? Always wondered what made one stick a wand and the other a normal stick. Do you have a magic forest where you can get them from the trees?"

Serenity smiled and suppressed a giggle. "I used to wonder the same thing, when I was little. I would go and pick up twigs in the back yard and try swinging them around. Mom told me that wands are made by wand makers. There are all different kinds. Mine's made of ivy. But it's not just the wood; there's also the core. My wand has balam whisker core."

Dragons - now there was a thing Dudley could identify. Along with unicorns and elves… though he really thought elves were beautiful people with pointed ears and not the thing he had seen Harry tell to shut up a year ago.

"What's a balam?"

"It's a supernatural jaguar native to America. They are guardians of nature. I guess they might not have that type of core here in England, but I could be wrong. They might import it. The wand maker back home was surprised this wand chose me since I'm really native to England. At the same time, my mom was born in America so I guess that's why." She paused and smiled at Dudley's bewildered expression. "Sorry, my mouth tends to run away with me at times. I'm just so lonely here. No offense, but there's no one else here around my age that's a wizard or witch. No one I can talk to about… that stuff."

"I don't mind," he sputtered despite the fact that the conversation did make him uneasy. Still, it seemed to bring Serenity's mood up. After the incident at dinner and the things he had read in her diary, he figured she needed it.

Dudley frowned again. For once he was actually thinking of someone other than himself. What had happened to the boy who would have retorted with some smart remark? The boy who wouldn't care if some stupid witch got her feelings hurt? What was going on with him?

He was more confused than ever. He had hoped that through some miracle talking to Serenity would clear his thoughts. If he could somehow give back her diary then he could be less like his father and more like… More like what?

And what would happen if he gave her back the diary? Would she be happy? Not even Dudley thought that possible. Certainly her mood was improving, but to tell her he had read her personal thoughts… No, she would be hurt and angry. Not to mention she was holding a real wand. She seemed nice but he had caught a glimpse of another side of her when she talked about those Death Eaters. No doubt she would turn him into a frog.

Again Serenity misread his frown. "Sorry again. I'm talking about my stuff. Didn't you need to talk? What's on your mind?"

"Um…," he searched his mind. There was no way he was revealing the diary. "Just wanted to…check and see if you were okay I guess. Dad's in a bad mood. He can be a bit…um…"

"Difficult," Serenity offered.

Dudley nodded. He stood slowly. Serenity followed, pressing her shirt straight. She was a bit plump around the middle; though not nearly as 'plump' as Dudley himself was. Her cheeks were fuller than mum's but there was no double chin. All in all, she had a very average build. She looked completely normal and could easily pass for someone like him. Someone who wasn't a witch.

Before Dudley let his head spin around the fact that maybe magic people weren't so different, he excused himself, wishing her a good night. After she lightly snapped the door shut behind him, he crept back downstairs to the living room. He would return the diary to the place he found it. Right now, that was the best he could do.


End file.
